Christian Work among London Costermongers.

Do many of our readers know where Golden-lane is, in the City of London? To those who are ignorant of the locality, we can give the assurance that its name is by no means an indication of its character, for instead of being a region of glittering wealth, it seems a chosen home of penury, wretchedness, and vice. It is a long, narrow thoroughfare, running between Chiswell-street on the south and Oldstreet on the north, and parallel with Aldersgate-street and Goswellstreet. Standing on the roof, as we recently did, of the large building in this lane known as the City Baths and Model Lodgings, you look down on a network of courts and alleys, thickly packed with human beings. The demolition of many dwellings in the neighbourhood, to make way for the Metropolitan Railway, has only made the population around this spot more densely crowded. In a vast number of the houses, every single room contains a family; and many of the abodes, as may be supposed, are a disgrace to our boasted civilization. The population within a radius of a furlong or a little more from the City Baths may, perhaps, be safely estimated at 15,000; but of what class and character? Thirty per cent. of them are costermongers and itinerant sellers of articles in the streets; twenty per cent. are labourers and poor women, who live by washing, charing, and needlework; thirty per cent. are either paupers or of doubtful occupation; and the remaining twenty per cent. are engaged in struggling for a livelihood in various ways, such as crossing-sweepers, dust-bin searchers, rag and bone collectors, brace and doll makers, &c. If we take a peep into some of the dwellings of these poor people, we shall see some strange sights. Here is a family of five persons, with four dogs and a cat, who live and sleep together in one 100m. In another apartment we find an old woman, with eight cats, who, in olden time, with so many feline companions, would certainly have been suspected of witchcraft. Not far off is a room where a family, seven in number, reside, cooking and selling fried fish, and thus carrying on their business where they eat and sleep. Close by are two other small apartments, with one outer door, the abodes of three men, four women, and four children, who carry on their trades, and live and sleep together. In some of the courts, when the doors of the houses are opened, the effluvium which escapes is so offensive that the visitor is obliged at times to start back, and retreat in disgust.

Need it be asked what is the moral and religious character of a population living in such a locality? Few of them are ever seen within the walls of any place of worship. Intemperance is prevalent, and many of the inhabitants will occasionally part with everything that is saleable

any

in their possession for strong drink. Hence misery and disease abound, and the children often tell by their very appearance the sad tale of the drunkard's home. And where, as is frequently the case, grown-up sons and daughters live and sleep in the same room as their parents, is it wonder that immorality and indecency should to a sad extent abound? In the entire district, a small proportion only of the population can either read or write. Can anything be done to rescue, raise, and transform such a population as this? Perhaps some would be disposed to think the case hopeless, and that Evangelistic labour of any sort would be almost, if not altogether vain. Happily, it is not so. We have lying before us a small pamphlet, entitled "After Office Hours," which gives a brief statement of a year's voluntary Christian effort carried on amongst this people. It shows very impressively what can be done by a small band of workers, whose hearts the Lord has touched, and who, after the ordinary hours of business-for that is the meaning of the title of the report-give their evenings to such selfdenying labour, as well as the hours of the Lord's day. The special work to which we refer appears to have had its origin in the efforts of Mr. W. J. Orsman, a gentleman engaged, we believe, in the General Post Office, and under his superintendence it still remains. But a committee has been formed of a few young men and others, some of whom are Mr. Orsman's fellow-labourers, under the presidency of the Earl of Shaftesbury, who is ever ready, by word and deed, to encourage such service as this in the name of Christ. For rather more than five years, Christian work has been carried on amidst many difficulties and discouragements, in connection with the building to which I have alluded, known as the City Baths and Model Dwellings, and the results, by the blessing of God, are, in many respects, wonderful. A large room with a gallery, in one part of the premises, is set apart as a mission-hall, and is used for preaching, teaching, lecturing, tea-meetings, and such-like gatherings. Here religious services are conducted twice every Lord's day, with an average attendance in the evening of about 400, and at a weekly service on Wednesday evening, 200 usually assemble. Some of the regular attendants at these services might be identified on the streets of the metropolis, amongst those who are struggling for a precarious livelihood by selling fried fish, laces, and small penny articles to passers-by. Perhaps some of our readers may have occasionally seen in the thoroughfares of the great city a man who, to pick up a few pence, makes curious music from the spout of an old tin coffee-pot. This man is now often, if not regularly, to be found on Sunday among the worshippers at the mission-hall. Besides purely

religious services, there is a great variety of other agencies in connection with the Mission, for feeding, clothing, educating, and elevating these

poor people. There are free day and evening schools; temperance meetings are held, with Band of Hope and Teetotal Societies; popular lectures are given weekly; a penny savings' bank, twice a week, transacts business; a society exists for giving dinners to destitute children, which provided more than 10,000 dinners for bare-footed, shock-headed, ragged urchins, during the winter before last; and a fund for aiding costermongers to procure the necessary barrow for their trade, and, therefore, called the "Barrow Fund." A boys' drum and fife band numbers twenty players, and when any special lecture is to be delivered or meeting held, in connection with the Mission, these boys march, to their own music, through Golden-lane, as a sort of advertisement, under the leadership of their "Captain," a devout and earnest Christian man, whom we have known for years. As an actual result of Evangelistic labours, a Christian Church has been formed, which now numbers about 150 members, and is presided over by Mr. Orsman. A Bible Class for young men, taught by a Christian woman, who earns her living by her needle, has fifty members, and twenty of them, it is believed, have given evidence of being savingly converted to God during the past year. Another similar class for young women numbers forty in attendance, and the teacher reports twelve additions to the Church fellowship from it in the same time. A Bible woman also pursues her daily work in connection with the various agencies, and with much success.

It is proper to say that the voluntary labourers and teachers who give so much of their time and energy to the work in Golden-lane belong to different sections of the Christian Church. The "tramps' kitchens," as they are called, or common lodging-houses in the neighbourhood, are regularly visited by some of Mr. Orsman's helpers, and short practical addresses are given to the characters who congregate there. These may be termed the very scum of the metropolis-homeless and miserable vagrants, men and women just out of prison, and wretched creatures who can give no account of themselves. Thus the "waifs and strays" of London life are met, and cared for, and occasionally hear a word ir season. The free day-school has an average attendance of about 19: children, and forms an important part of the work carried on. In a recent visit to the school, we saw some boys who were raised to be monitors from having been young Arabs of the street, accustomed to stand on their heads, or to turn on their hands like wheels, to gain a few stray halfpence from passengers in omnibuses and others. The master told us, by way of giving a specimen of the material he had to deal with, that a day or two after making some remarks to his ragged pupils on "the pearl of great price," one of them brought to him the large shell of a native oyster, saying that it was the greatest pearl he could find!

One of the chief difficulties the Christian labourers have to contend with among these people is the pressure of Sunday toil in the fight for daily bread. On the Lord's day especially, the costermonger fancies or feels it necessary to be at his business. "Can't be religious, sir, no

how," said one of them, who was personally appealed to not long ago; "can't let the barrer be lazy on Sundays." Sunday-trading is admitted by many of themselves to be one of the greatest hindrances to a religious life. Sometimes, when invited to a religious service, they stare with stupid amazement, and reply, "Why, sir, yer knows how it's nothing in my line; it don't do for the like on us, yer know." "I aint an eddicated person," said a costermonger one day to Mr. Orsman; "but I knows wot's wot; and I knows that God A'mighty never meant costermongers to be religious; why, don't yer see, it couldn't be done." One of this class, mistaking a Christian visitor, one day, for a city missionary newly put on the district, said, "I've heard as how you only get a quid (a pound) a week for goin' wisitin', readin', and sich loike; now why don't yer turn yer hand to a barrer, and spekerlate a bit; not as tho' there aint already too many in the streets. Still, I can turn over three quid in good times. Lor' bless you, I don't want yer sitivation. I wouldn't 'ave it at no price. Why, I should 'ave to say to my old moke (donkey), 'Sling yer hook,' put all my cowcumbers out to winegar, and send the missus and the babbies to the work'us, tellin' 'em to pray for us."

Another singular specimen we may give in the words of one of Mr. Orsman's reports :-"A widow professed to constantly attend ALL the places of worship in the locality, and whenever there was a chance of obtaining a combination of spiritual with temporal food, she certainly presented herself as a candidate for both. In due time, she was married to a costermonger, and she became most anxious that he should reap the temporal benefits which she had so long enjoyed in consequence of her religious behaviour. As a means to this end, she introduced her husband to Mr. Orsman, so that he might be lectured, for 'he's such a bad fellow.' Jack immediately repudiated the base 'insinivation' by replying, 'No, I aint.' Mr. Orsman inquired whether Jack believed he was a sinner at all, and he replied by asking, 'How do yer make that out, guv'nor? I doesn't swear much nor get drunk-leastways not much,— and as for beating the missus, I've only given her one black eye, and then she aggravated me to it.' The 'bride,' finding that matters were going contrary, whispered to her husband, accompanying her advice with sundry suggestive nudges, 'Why don't yer tell the good genelman you're a sinner, eh, Jack?' Mr. Orsman tried to explain to the poor fellow what it was to be a sinner, but Jack wouldn't see it at all. 'Excuse me, guv'nor,' said he, ‘but I'll tell you why I aint religious: 'cos I'm a

coster, and 'ave to work on Sunday. Next, 'cos, if I wasn't to humour the old girls who buys, and tell a lot of lies to them, I shouldn't bring home a empty barrer. And then what's the use of it? Why, what would a coster do without his 'baccy and drink, penny gaff, and Sunday trade? Why, sir, it can't be done. Look at my missus, she aint no better nor I, though she goes round to all the preaching places.' At this the wife, who had grown ill-tempered, interfered, and all further conversation was stopped by her constant iteration of Yer know you're a sinner, Jack; why don't yer tell the genelman so?""

Some of Mr. Orsman's fellow-helpers are the result, under God's blessing, of his own self-denying labours. We rejoice in the work which God has honoured him to accomplish in a region so dark and discouraging, and trust he may be spared long to continue and extend an enterprise in which he has been so signally successful. Were Christians in our Churches more generally awake to their responsibility and privilege, how much more aggression, might be made on the kingdom of sin! Many are willing to subscribe to the support of a city missionary who are indisposed to give personal effort. But it is personal effort that is specially needed, and when it is more abundantly put forth, the darkest parts of our populous towns will show results at once sacred and surprising.

EDITOR.

On Being Good.

LOVE is at the root of all true goodness. Goodness is the most positive quality in the moral universe. The absence of badness does not constitute a good man. The neutral character is cold as ice, out of which nothing grows. The innocent being is not good. Eve in Paradise was not such a good woman as Mary the mother of Jesus weeping at the Cross. She was not good at all in the strict and scriptural sense of the word. Some people's virtue consists in the absence of temptation; in the lack of opportunity to do evil. Let the serpent come, and the luscious fruit hang temptingly overhead, and their virtue totters on its sandy foundation, and falls. It is mere frost-work on the window of the soul, making a pretty picture, but unable to bear too much light. The gay regimentals put on by the actor do not make him a soldier. The easy goodness which many people wear no more makes them good than does sheep's clothing alter the nature of the wolf. Some men buy bright reputations much more cheaply than they buy their furniture. To be amiable when you roll through life on carriage-wheels is very easy; but to the poor man who has a large family, a sick wife, and plenty of hard